Imvelo Eswatini, our women development project has been flourishing into 2016. This nationally recognised jewellery business was founded to tribute Mama Margarita, the mother of John Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian order. We work to follow her teachings to enhance the lives of women from informal settlements around towns in Swaziland by providing them with flexible job opportunities and providing fair and sustainable income. Our women create detailed and unique pieces of jewellery inspired by individual and the communities around them whilst using traditional skills and contemporary design with inspiration from nature and African Art. Proceeds of all Imvelo Eswatini’s work are used to support the work of the social welfare programme within Manzini Youth Care.

MYC continues to provide holistic care to marginalized youth at risk through the provision of education, food, shelter, clothing and medical services. We kick-start the year by looking at the profile of Zakhele residential care home. This is one of the six homes being operated by MYC. The six residential care homes are arranged according to their age and academic levels. For instance the Enjabulweni residential care home accommodates 20 youth whom all are in primary school between the ages of 12 to 16. McCorkindales accommodates 10 high school youth between the ages of 15 to 18, Fairview 12secondary school residents from the ages of 15 to 17, Sikhunyana has 24 residents, with half of them being in their last grade in high school and other half perusing vocational training courses. It is worth mentioning that this is the residential care home in which the residents are being prepared to be re integrated back into society and their parental homesteads. Such an exercise is done throughout the year in collaboration with their youth, (boy/girl) MYC Social workers and their youth guardian, relative or parents. The last two homes namely Ngwane Park and Zakhele accommodates girls only, aged between 10 -18 years. All the residential care homes are named after the communities in which they are located. In today’s newsletter we focus on Zakhele which accommodates 14 residents.

Profile of Zakhele Residential Care Home
Zakhele residence provides care and support to 14girls from the age of 10 to18years old. The home is well looked after by the housemother Ms. Hlob’sile Bulunga and also by the housefather Mr. Pascal Shabangu who’s primary roles are to cater for the welfare of the residents. The home consists of one large dormitory with 11 cubicles 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

Nine out of ten residents who sat their exams managed to obtain good grades in the final examinations in grade 7.The graduates are now enrolled in different secondary schools: 5 at Salesian High School, 1 at Hillside High School, 1 at Manzini Central High School 1 at St. Pauls High School and 1 at St.Joseph’sHighSchool.

At Enjabulweni Pre-school teachers training programme we produced 29 graduates last December 2015. We congratulate our top 5 students: Kunene Zodwa, Philile ( A) Dlamini Phumlile R. ( B ) Dlamini Temalangeni ( B ) Mnisi Brenda Lungile (B) and Tsabedze Cebile Nomcebo ( B). In total there were 4 students who attained D’s, 20 students with a C’s, 4 students with B’s and 1 student with an A.